MPD: Motor vehicle thefts on rise

Published 5:07 pm, Monday, January 28, 2013

A Midland Police Department squad car is seen in this undated file photo.

A Midland Police Department squad car is seen in this undated file photo.

MPD: Motor vehicle thefts on rise

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Vehicles left running and unattended have been easy targets for thieves, with Midland police responding to more than 10 cases this month, according to the city's public information officer.

In some instances the driver left the vehicle running at a conveninence store; in other instances the driver was waiting for the vehicle to warm up, said spokeswoman Sara Higgins.

These thefts occurred during morning hours in northwest Midland neighborhoods and apartment complexes, but leaving vehicles running and unattended is a risk regardless of time or place, said Sgt. Darin Clements, with MPD's Crime Prevention Unit.

"I'm hoping these are just isolated incidents. Having that many (vehicle thefts) in the first month is not where we want to go," he said.

In data released Friday, the department reported a slight decrease in vehicle theft -- from 137 in 2011 to 136 in 2012, or less than 1 percent.

Vehicle owners who leave running vehicles unattended can be cited up to $500 for a Class C misdemeanor under Transportation Code Chapter 545.404, Higgins said.

Many new-model cars will not lock if the engine is running, which makes it easier for a theft to occur, Clements said.

Residents need to help prevent crime that is avoidable, he said.

"We need the citizens to do their part; just help us," Clements said.

MPD Chief Price Robinson said drivers should always take their keys with them as a way to prevent these incidents.